JACK & JILL

Jack & Jill at the Perry Vet Clinic Monday eve, Feb. 12, 2007

Jack and Jill arrived on February 11, 2007 with three other older potbellies. We figured their age at about 5 months, but in their condition it was difficult to tell. The breeder told their initial rescuer that the 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick crusts on their skin "is normal". The woman who took them in thought they might be blind. Arrangements had been made for me to pick them up on Monday the 12th and deliver them to a foster home because my barn was full and there was no isolation stall. But the woman's landlord saw them in her basement and threatened to "take care of them" if she didn't get them out immediately, that Sunday night. So the five made the 50 mile trip from Wilson, N.Y. in the back of a pickup with just a piece of plywood tied down to hopefully contain and protect them. Being February, the temperature was in the teens and there were just a couple of blankets for warmth. In the dark the five were transferred into four large, deeply bedded crates in the back of my truck, which has a cap. It was the best I could come up with under the circumstances. I could tell their condition was poor while handling them in the dark, but was totally unprepared for what I found in the light of day. I've never seen such a severe case of mange, despite the many mangy pigs that have come here. I've seen open sores from rubbing, but this was beyond description and totally inexcusable. Monday morning I made an appointment at our vet clinic to have them seen and evaluated that evening after work. Despite their condition, both had good appetites and attitudes. When Dr. Paul came out to the truck I stopped him before he even got a look and told him that as bad as they looked, I thought there was hope. My fear was that he'd think they should be put down and I really wanted them to have a fighting chance. Gretchen, their foster person, met me at the clinic and was horrified at the sight as well. But in we went, donning latex gloves, and their treatments began immediately. Then it was off to Gretchen's and a new beginning. While she was at the clinic, her husband, Joe, was home hastily building pens in the garage for the five new rescues. Sometimes we have to "fly by the seat of our pants" and just do whatever it takes to save the pigs we have come to us.

Jack & Jill at Gretchen's on Tuesday, after baths and dip, on the road to a long recovery. They looked like burn victims and it got worse before it got better.

On Tuesday, Feb. 13th, I went to Gretchen's to help with their baths and check on the others. Of the five, Jack and Jill were in the worst condition. Apparently the older pigs, as breeders, were considered more valuable and had been better fed and cared for. Even so, they also had mange. One female was thought to be pregnant and due mid to late March. The other was "iffy" and the third pig was the father of J&J and possibly the pending litter, a white fellow with an adorable face that Gretchen named "Erp". (There is also the chance that Jack fathered the expected litter.) The older pigs had settled in pretty well, happy with full bellies, heat lamps, and deep beds. The babies looked miserable, but continued to eat well and maintain good attitudes. Before I left, I mentioned to Gretchen that the one female looked like she might be closer to delivering than March, and that she might want to start watching her over the next few days to see how things developed. It looked to me like there might be milk coming in, though I had no experience to go by other than our horses. It was just a "feeling" that her time might not be a full month or more away. I was thinking maybe a week or two. She wasn't really "huge" with babies, but her mammary glands appeared to be enlarged.

Later that night I recieved a wake up call from Gretchen,"We have babies!!!!" She'd gone out after her shower, with wet hair, in "jammies" and thin rubber boots to do a quick bed check. What she thought at first glance was a rat, was a baby pig and more were coming. In all, there were 8 born and 6 survived. Joe and Gretchen spent hours transferring mom and babies into the warm house and getting them settled. Within a couple of days Joe had built a wonderful big box in one of their rooms to house the family. At this point I should mention that Gretchen and Joe already had six extremely well behaved potbellies living in the house. In no time their pig count went from six to eleven and then to seventeen...with thirteen in the house and two seriously ill "youngsters" and two adults in the garage! For the next several weeks Gretchen had her hands full, doctoring Jack and Jill, and caring for the babies and the others.

Jack & Jill, starting to heal, gain weight and grow hair .... almost all hair is in and they're

nearly ready to be adopted

Despite their rough beginning, Jack and Jill blossomed under Gretchen's care. But complications arose when it was time to neuter the boys.Jack and all four males in the new litter had only one testicle descended and their surgeries were complicated. All required additional surgeries to remove the second testicle. This case is a good example of what happens when irresponsible people decide to breed. These pigs have suffered greatly, and though healthy now, may have problems as they age due to inbreeding and the initial neglect. Fortunately for the six new babies, they were born at a loving, responsible home and weren't delivered in the back of my truck in a large dog kennel in the middle of February. With Gretchen, all have had the best care possible and most have been adopted to loving homes through Hog Heaven rescue, with whom Gretchen works very closely. Many thanks to Gretchen for her willingness to take on a difficult, extremely expensive and daunting task and see it through to a happy ending! Her vet bills on these pigs easily topped $1,500, not counting the gas for trips to the vet, incidental expenses, gas to deliver piglets as they've been adopted out of state and so on. Rescuing any animal can be a very time consuming and expensive task. Often people who wish to adopt a rescued animal think it should come at no charge because they're "helping out", but frequently the adoption fees don't begin to cover the costs of getting the animal healthy enough to be adopted. Rescues rarely "break even" despite the fees, which barely cover the costs of treatment, let alone feed and bedding.